Box Score BOCA RATON - Florida Southern opened up its final series of the 2015 season here Monday afternoon by pounding out 21 hits and scoring 17 runs en route to posting a 17-4 victory over 13th-ranked Lynn in Sunshine State Conference action at the Lynn Baseball Field.
With the victory, the Moccasins improved to 22-21 overall and 10-12 in the SSC, while Lynn fell to 32-13-1 overall and 12-9-1 in the SSC. The two teams will conclude the regular season with a doubleheader on Tuesday beginning at 12 p.m.
In Monday's game, the Mocs, who hadn't played since spliting a doubleheader at home April 25 against Barry, recorded eight extra base hits and had five players record at least three hits, including junior centerfielder Sam Machonis (Tampa, Fla.) going 4-for-5 at the plate with four runs scored.
Along with Machonis, junior second baseman Shawn Sanders (Citra, Fla.), senior third baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.), junior rightfielder Jhalan Jackson (Winter Haven, Fla.) and sophomore first baseman Jason Sierra (Sarasota, Fla.) each had three hits and combined to score 10 runs and drive home 15 runs, including six RBIs by Jackson and a career high five by Dennis.
FSC opened the scoring in the first inning as they sent nine hitters to the plate and scored four runs on three hits, including plating three of those runs on a 3-run homer over the fence in right off the bat of Sierra. The homer was the fifth of the season for Sierra.
The Mocs lead grew to 7-0 in the top of the second inning thanks to a 2-run double by Jackson off of Fighting Knights starting pitcher Kyle Carter and an RBI single to left by Sierra off of Lynn reliever Jimmy O'Neill, who came into the game after Carter allowed Jackson's double.
Lynn, though, would break up a shutout by junior hurler Ben Richardson (Orlando, Fla.) in the bottom of the third inning as Ben Schwanburg led off the frame with a single and the next Fighting Knight batter, Michael Stemle, broke up the shutout as he drilled the first pitch he saw from Richardson over the fence in left for a 2-run homer to pull within 7-2.
The Mocs would put the game away in the fifth as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs to push its lead to 12-2. In the inning, Dennis drove home two runs on his double to center, while Jackson hit a 2-run homer over the left field fence and the fifth run came home on a wild pitch by O'Neill. Jackson's homer was his team-leading 18th of the season.
FSC added to its lead in the sixth thanks to a lead off ground rule double by Machonis and an RBI groundout by Dennis off of LU reliever Robert Guarnieri.
The Fighting Knights would plate its final two runs of the game in the seventh thanks to a lead off double by Alex DeBellis and three consecutive singles by Matt Tietz, Schwanburg and Stemle off of Richardson.
Leading 13-4 heading into the eighth, the Mocs would bat around again in the eighth as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four runs on six hits to push its lead to 17-4. In the inning, senior catcher Joey Miller (Sarasota, Fla.) led off with a double, moved to third on a single by senior shortstop Casey Eddinger (Crawfordville, Fla.) and scored on an RBI single by Machonis. After Sanders recorded the first out of the inning on a groundout, Dennis followed with a 2-run double down the right field line and then Jackson delivered an RBI single through the left side to plate Dennis.
Richardson would then cruise from that point as he retired six of the final seven Lynn batters in order as he allowed a one-out double in the ninth to Stemle to pick up his fifth win of the season and improve to 5-7 on the year. For the game, Richardson, who threw his second complete game of the season, allowed 10 hits and four runs, while striking out one and walking none in the 89 pitch outing.
Carter (4-2) took the loss for Lynn as he allowed six hits and seven runs in 1.1 innings of work. In addition, he walked three and struck out one. For the game, LU used four pitchers and three of them allowed at least six hits and five runs in the loss.
The Fighting Knights offense was paced by a 3-for-4 day at the plate by Stemle. Along with Stemle, Schwanburg recorded two hits in the game.
